Junior explorer Anson Resources has received government approval for a drilling re-entry program following a site works inspection of drill locations at its Paradox lithium project in south-eastern Utah.
Representatives from the US Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management together with personnel from Utah’s Division of Oil, Gas and Mining visited the Mineral Canyon and Sunburst well sites which will be drilled as part of Anson’s Western Strategy re-entry program.
Sunburst is located immediately adjacent to road infrastructure and Mineral Canyon also has easy access near to a graded county road.
The site inspection confirmed the well locations are clearly marked and drill pads required for the program can be readily re-established instead of being excavated from scratch.
Factors evaluated during the visit included safety fencing, drainage protection, road maintenance, topsoil stockpiling for future reclamation and permits.
No issues were identified.
Increasing the mineral resource
Anson’s re-entry program is designed to sample thick Mississippian units and Pennsylvanian clastic horizons in the Paradox Basin, to further increase the project’s existing mineral resource of 1.04 million tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent and 5.27Mt bromine.
Supersaturated brine samples from Mineral Canyon and Sunburst will be tested for lithium and other minerals including bromine, iodine and boron.
The wells are located less than one kilometre from known lithium-rich brines previously sampled in the Big Flat area during historic oil and gas exploration programs.
Eastern Strategy program
All clastic zone and Mississippian horizons are continuous from those sampled during Anson’s initial Eastern Strategy program.
Drilling will also be conducted at the Green River lithium project 50 kilometres to the north-west.
The company said it aims to have minimal impact on the environment, with minimal new ground disturbance as the drill pads are already established and require only to be re-instated.
It is expected that assays and flow testing of brines will result in the areas surrounding the wells being included in an upgraded mineral resource report later this year.
